Debit and credit posting machine



March 4, 1930.. H. A. FooTHoRAP 1,749,477

DEBIT AND CREDIT POSTING MACHINE original Filed Dec. s1, 1920 2sheets-sheet 1 Syvum/Woe;

March 4, 1930. H. A. FoO'THoRAP y DEBIT AND CREDIT POSTING MACHINElOriginal Filed Deo. 51. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www@ Patented Mar. 4,1930 UNITED STATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE HARRY A. POOTBORAP, OP IIARRIsBiIRG, PENNSYLVANIA,AssIGNoR rro ELLIOTT- FISHER COMPANY, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE` DEBITAND CREDIT HOSTING MACHINE Original application. led

This invention relates to writing adding machines and is a division ofmy application No. 434,250 for Letters Patent.

The object of the invention is to facilitate the printing of debits andcredits in the same column and their separate accumulation in dierentregisters, by providing means whereby the debit and credit registers maybe shifted into and out of operative position with respect to thecolumn.

To the accomplishment of this general object and others-of subordinatenature, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement ofparts to be hereinafter describedfand illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

In said drawings:

' Figure 1 is a front elevation of a writing v adding machine equippedwith means for shifting the de bitA and credit registers and the controlbar.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view O the mech-- lsnism for shifting theregisters and control ars.

Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are detail sectional views.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional View taken on, the line 7-7 of Figure V1.i

The machine illustrated is what is known to commerce as theElliott-Fisher bookkeepingmachine which includes a at platen 1, tracks 2and a line space frame 4 movable longitudinally of the platen on thetracks. A carriage 6 shown diagrammatically in Fig. l supports theprinting mechanism of the machine and various ancillary mechanismsincluding actuating mechanism for the adding devices or registers whichconstitute usual elements of the ordinary equipment of the machine.

In rear of the carriage 6 the frame 4 is equipped with a register bar 7acarried by vertical supports 8 rigidwith the frame. The bar 7a supportsa series of adding devices or registers 9, 9a, 10, 11, 12, 18, 13a and14. The number and dimensions of the registers is arbitrary. Theillustration shows the registers 9 and 9El mounted in the same frame and13 and 13a similarly mounted because these double registers aredesignedto accumulate December 31, 1920, Serial No. 434,250. Yatent No.1,505,385. Divided and this application led May 3, 1924. Serial No.710,801.

different but related items, as for instance, ,debits and credits. It isunnecessary to describe these adding devices or registers in detail.Suiice it to say that each includes arseries of number wheels occupyingprogressive denominational positions and having the digits, naught tonine, distributed about their peripheries and displayed one at a timeopposite a sight opening. Associated with these wheels is the usualcarrying mechanism, whereby, when the limit of value of any denominationis reached by the rotation of the number wheel, the value thusaccumulated will be transferred to the wheel of next higherdenomination.

So also, the actuating mechanism for these registers being of well knowncharacter requires no specific description. It may be stated howeverthat this actuating \mecha nism includes a master wheel 15, mounted onand laterally movable with the carriage 6 and rotatable by numeral keys,a number of increments corresponding to the value of the digits yprinted in a given denominational position on the work sheet. As thecarriage advances across the column to print the digits included in anumber the master wheel is advanced to successive number wheels. Thus,the denominational position of the printing mechanism in the column andthe denominational position of the master wheel in the registercorrespond, so that the amount accumulated by the register correspondsin both numerical` and denominational value to the numerical anddenominationalvalues of the digits printed in the column.

In addition to the coaction between the master wheel and the registersthere is necessarily a coaction between other parts associated with thecarriage and rame, respectively, to control certain functions oi theadd` 16 is associated with each register for coaction with an armmounted on the carriage and controlling certain of the Operatingconnections of the actuating mechanism. Obviously, the plate 16 mustbear a definite relation to the register in order to coact with the armwhen the register and master Wheel are in proper relation. Also, in thisconnection, attention is directed to the fact that a control bar 17 isappropriately mounted in rear of the carriage for the support ofadjustable' controlling devices 18 which ,coact with associatedlmechanism to control certain phases of the ladding operation.

Differently expressed, the register must be appro riate in position to aparticular column eld or area ofthe work sheet so that when the printinpoint of. the machine is located in that co umn position the masterwheel will be correspondingly located yrelatively tothe register.Therefore, if theV object of this invention is to be attained, that isto say, the printing of certain numbers in a single column and-'theaddition of certain of these numbers in one register and others of saidnumbers in another register, both of said registers must in some mannerbe placed in the appropriate relation to the single column. Obviouslythis can be done in a machine of this type by shifting the two registersalternately into and out of a specified relation to the column. This isaccomplished by mounting the register bar 7'* for longitudinal movementby passing the reduced ends 49 thereof through bearings 50 and byproviding the same beyond the bearings with stop collars 51 and 52.

The register bar is locked in one position by a catch 53 pivoted on thecollar 52 and engaging a stud 54 on one of the bearings 50. The oppositeend of the catch 53, which is in the form of a lever, is provided withan inclined slot 55 engaged by pin 56 projected from an extension 57located midway of what niay be termed a register shifting lever 58,having an operating key 59 at one end and fulcrumed at its opposite end,as indicated at 60, to one extremity of a rigid guile bar 61. To returnthe lever 58 to normal position when it has been moved therefrom andreleased,` I pnovide a retracting spring 62, as shown.

Disposed longitudinally of the lever 58 is a slot 63 having an offsetlower end 64 to 'receive a pin 65 projecting from the adjacent stopcollar 52 of the bar 7^. It will now be seen that pressure upon the key59 will swing the lever 58, first causing the pin 56 to swing the catch54 to its disengaged position. The necessary lost motion of the lever 58to accomplish this unlocking'of the re ister bar is accommodated by theplay of t e pin 65 in the offset portion of the slot 63. The pin 65 isthen engaged and continuedy movement of the lever 58 will shift theregister bar longitudinally for the purpose of' moving the whole seriesof registers to displace one regster from a given column position and t0place the next adjacent register in appropriate relation to such column.Obviously those elements of the control which bear a fixed relation tothe registers in the operation of the machine must maintain suchrelation at all times. Therefore, as the registers are shifted,provision must be made for shifting the control elements with them. Toaccom lish this object the control bar 17 is in this orm of theinvention mounted in control bar brackets 66 pendent from the registerbar 7 and movable therewith, the lower ends of these brackets beingguided bar 61, as clearly shown in gs. 2 and 3. Each of the brackets 66is provided with a control bar head 67, having a shank 68 threadedthrough the bracket and secured by nuts 69. The heads retain adjustablecontrol bar carriers 70, adjustable in different directions and directlycarrying the control vbar 17. The connection between the bar 17 and oneof the carriers is effected by a sliding pin 71 fixed to the bar andenga 'ng the carrier, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wiile the carrierassociated with the other bracket receives the threaded end 72 of thecontrol bar, which is equipped with an adjusting nut 73 by which endwiseadjustment of the bar may be secured, its retention in such positionbeing assured by lock nuts 74.

It will thus be seen that the simple operation of the key, after theprinting and adding of debits, for instance, will shift the registersand controls so that when credits or other distinguished items areprinted in the same column they will be accumulated in a different rester.

What I c aim is:

1. In combination a platen, a computing unit including a debit registerand a credit register. and means for shifting said unit in oppositedirections to present either register in position'to be operated asdebits or credits are recorded in thecolumn and to displace the otherregister from such operative osition.

2. In combination, a' platen, de it and credit registers foracciunulating debits and credits, a key for shiftin both re 'sters as aunit, relatively to the p aten, to ring one register to the columnosition and to displace the other from t e column position,

and actuatin mechanism arranged to actuate the register lzocated incolumn position.

3. In a machine of the character described, ,the combination with aplaten, of a plurality of registers, controlling mechanism including acontrolling bar bearing fixed relation to the registers, and means forshifting the registers and control bar relatively to the platen and forretaining the same in the new relation.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination with aplaten, a plurality of relatively stationary registers, and meansincluding a key operative to shift the registers relatively to theplaten.

u on the guide it 5. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with a platen, a plurality ofl relatively stationaryregisters, controlling mechanism, and means including a key4 forshifting the registers and the controlling mechanism relatively to theplaten. I

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination with aplaten, a plurality of registers, controlling mechanism including acontrol bar, akey operative to shift the registers and control barrelatively to the platen, and means for retaining the registers andcontrol bar in the new position.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination with aplaten, of a plurality of relatively stationary registers, controllingmechanism including a control bar, means connecting the registers andcontrol bar for movement together relatively to the platen, and a keyoperative to shift the registers and control bar.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination with aplaten, of a plurality of relatively stationary registers, a controllingmechanism including a control bar, means connecting the registers andcontrol bar for movement together relatively to the platen, a keyoperative to shift the registers and control bar, and a latch forretaining the registers and control bar'in position.

9. In awriting computing machine including a platen, an accumulatingunit including a debit and a creditA register and shiftable tooperativelposition either register to accumulate num ers as they are printed v ina single column, and means for shifting said unit.

10. In combination, a platen, a series of computing `units for use inaccumulating different columns of numbers respectively,

said units including a lurality of registers, l

and means for shifting 1n opposite directions a unit including tworegisters to present said registers alternately in a single columnposition.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature.

HARRY A.. FOOTHORAP.

